Welcome to the Utrecht Debating Society Website

Hello there! Utrecht Debating Society (UDS) is a student society that is a fun, welcoming and constructive community. You will learn how to speak confidently, hold proper arguments and discover debating to be the hobby you never knew you always wanted. Our evenings are informal and are complemented by beers and snacks. We are a very welcoming society, with students from all types of faculties and backgrounds amongst our ranks. We also are a fairly international society with 2 of our current 4 board members being international students. Being a student society, anyone who is below 27 and from the UU, UCU, HU and HK can become a member.

How, When and Where

Every Wednesday at 19:30 is debate day. We typically hold 2 debates and then finish the night off by going to our bar, t’Pandje. Debates are entertained in the Locke Building at the UCU Campus. For regular updates on special evenings, workshops and socials check out our Facebook page.

Debating is a Life Skill

Debating offers the opportunity develop and use diverse skills that will aid you now and beyond University. You can develop confidence, perfect presentation and argumentation skills, all in a friendly and supportive environment that includes fun events and travel. For more general information and why debating is a great skill, visit our “Why Debate?” page.

Cooperation with other Debating Societies

UDS is in close contact with other debating societies across the Netherlands, from Zeeland to Maastricht and from Leiden to Groningen. We happily welcome cooperation and communication with other societies in Utrecht. You can contact us via email or telephone.

Training for Companies and Organizations

We also offer training for societies/organizations in the realm of debating and judging. For more information and what we provide and how click here.

Thank you Ufonds

This summer, UDS participated at the Zagreb European University Debating Championships. After some great results in the earlier rounds, the team unfortunately narrowly missed out on the quarterfinals after taking a loss in the ever so important round 9.

We want to thank U-fonds for sponsoring our team and helping making participation at major debate tournaments accessible for students who study in Utrecht.